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Aviation History
1995
1995 - 0436.PDF
DEFENCE The Garibaldi will carry Italy's Harrier II Plus aircraft on their first task Italy deploys Hairier II Plus for first time ANDREA SPINELLI/GENOA ITALY HAS DEPLOYED its McDonnell Douglas Harrier II Plus operationally for the first time on the aircraft carrier Garibaldi as part of a task force covering the withdrawal of United Nations forces from Somalia. The Harrier II Plus aircraft, assigned to the Gruppo Aeri Imbarcati, were delivered to the NEWS IN BRIEF • SNECMA-MIKOYAN DEAL French engine manufacturer Snecma is hoping to con clude a licence-production agreement with Mikoyan in the next few weeks, accord ing to Snecma chairman Bernard Dufour. The two companies have been involved in prolonged nego tiations about a licensing agreement covering the Snecma-Turbomeca Larzac 04-R20 engine for Mikoyan's MiG-AT jet trainer. • PATRIOT ORDER Tokyo Electron has ordered a new Patriot air-defence missile-operator tactics trainer from Lockheed Sanders for supply to the Japan Air Self-Defence Force. The $9.9 million con tract also incudes the upgrade of an existing train er system. navy in December 1994. The air crew, however, have been training in the USA and only now are deemed to be combat ready. Sources say that an Italian navy task group is due to leave from the Brindisi naval base between 20 and 22 January. The contingent will form part of a larger multi-national fleet, including French, UK and US Marine Corps warships. Along with the three Harriers on die Garibaldi will be four army aviation Agusta A. 129 Mangusta attack helicopters. Joint training using the Harriers and Mangustas in concert to provide close air- support has been carried out in the past few weeks. The Italian task force includes some 600 paratroopers and marines. These troops would be deployed by helicopter as part of a cover force, should Somali gueril las attempt to harass the with drawing UN forces. The troops would be air deployed by the recently formed Nucleo Lotta Anfibia. This unit employs Sikorsky SH-3D and Agusta AB-212 helicopters in the amphibious-assault role. Both types have been modified, with the removal of all anti-sub marine-warfare equipment and the fitting of machine guns and rocket pods. The Italian armed forces are looking to the experience of the Somali operation to feed into the creation of its planned amphibi ous brigade. The task-force deployment is expected to last at least until the end of March. • Germany favours France's spy-satellite development GERMANY WILL JOIN the French Helios 2 intelli gence-gathering satellite project, but only on condition that France also commits to developing an active-array radar "spy" satellite as a follow-on programme. German defence minister Volker Riihe met with his French counterpart Francois Leotard, along with the Italian and Spanish defence ministers, on 13 January to discuss the project. The two southern European countries appear to be on the brink of rejoining the Helios 2 project. Ruhe says: "Germany is inter ested in joining the Helios 2 pro gramme, but this must be contingent on a much more ambi tious active-array radar satellite." The Helios 2 will be equipped with infra-red and high-resolu tion optical sensors. It is intended that it will be deployed in 2001. The active-array satellite is tenta tively scheduled for deployment in 2005, and will be all-weather capable, which Helios 2 is not. The development of an inde pendent "spy" satellite capability has gained impetus, claim French sources, as concern has grown over the access to US intelligence -satellite data. They claim that the US Department of Defense has held back some satellite-derived intelligence about both Bosnia and Iraq. Discussing his country's deci sion to reconsider the Helios 2, Spanish defence minister Julian Garcia Vargas says: "Spain is a partner in Helios 1. The Madrid Government has decided to review our position and come back into the Helios 2 pro gramme, because, with four par ticipating countries, the project is taking on a very strong European character." Matra Marconi Space has industrial leadership of the Helios II programme. Were Germany to join, then Daimler Benz Aerospace would also become a partner. Daimler Benz and Aerospatiale are discussing the prospect of bringing together their space divisions, with a reso lution expected by the middle of this year. • Raytheon delivers first U-125A THE FIRST OF UP TO 27 Raytheon Aircraft U-125As ear marked for the search-and-rescue role has been delivered to Japan, where mission-system performance testing is now being carried out by Fuji Heavy Industries. Fuji is Japan's prime-sub contractor on the programme. The formal handover of the first aircraft to the Japan Air Self-Defence Force will take place in the first quarter of this year. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 25 - 31 January 1995 17
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